Vandercook Presses: The Workhorses Behind Handmade Art

A 1200-word deep dive into history, reliability, and why these machines are magic for linocut and blockprinting artists today

There’s a moment in every printmaker’s life when the tools stop being just tools. Your carving knives feel like extensions of your fingertips, the ink takes on a personality of its own, and even that stubborn block of linoleum begins to feel like a conversation partner rather than a slab of battleship gray. But nothing—nothing—quite transforms your relationship with handmade printing like the first time you roll a Vandercook press bed forward and feel that cylinder glide.

It’s the moment you realize:

“Oh… this is the real deal.”

The Vandercook is one of those rare inventions that accidentally outlived its original purpose and became even more beloved because of it. Built for precision and consistency in proofing type, Vandercooks weren’t created for linocut printing, blockprinting, or handmade concert posters. Yet today, these presses are the heartbeat of countless print studios, including ours—where our own Vandercook Universal 1 (affectionately named Buddy) reliably helps us bring bold linocut designs into the world.

So let’s talk about this beautifully overbuilt machine—where it came from, how it works, and why it continues to shape the handmade printmaking world almost a century after it rolled off the factory floor.

A Brief History: From Proof Press to Printmaking Icon

The Vandercook press was never meant to be the star of the show. When the company began in the early 1900s in Chicago, the goal was simple: create proof presses that allowed printers to check their type before locking in a large print run. Offset printing was becoming the big shiny new thing, and proofing presses filled an essential gap—quick checks, small runs, test impressions, and clean results.

What Vandercook did differently—almost accidentally—was build these presses like tanks. Heavy steel, smooth bearings, tight tolerances, no unnecessary frills. They were made to be reliable, not flashy. Over the decades, hundreds of models came out—SP20s, Universal 1s, 3s, 4s, and the highly coveted No. 4 that many printmakers still dream about.

Then something strange happened.

Offset took over, digital printing began its rise, and thousands of Vandercook presses became obsolete overnight. Printeries across the country—schools, businesses, small-town shops—started tossing them out or selling them for pennies.

And that’s when artists stepped in.

Linocut printers, blockprinting artists, and handmade bookmakers took one look at these machines and immediately recognized their potential. A press that delivered consistent, flat, even pressure? A bed long enough for posters and art prints? A cylinder that didn’t require superhuman strength to operate? It was perfect. No—better than perfect. It was exactly the tool this new generation of hands-on makers needed.

Today, Vandercook presses are the gold standard in studios that focus on linocut art, handmade prints, and even large-scale concert posters. The machine that was once background equipment now sits front and center, ink-splattered and revered.

Why Vandercooks Became the Printmaker’s Best Friend

Every blockprinting artist has their own setup—some use barens, some swear by spoons, some hand-burnish like champions—but a Vandercook changes the game. Here’s why.

1. Consistency Like You’ve Never Seen Before

Linoleum can be temperamental. Temperature, humidity, even how long it sits under your light can affect it. But once you ink your block and roll that press bed beneath the cylinder, the Vandercook delivers pressure with the consistency of a metronome. No dips, no weird soft spots, no surprises.

For handmade concert posters—where edition sizes matter and collectors want consistency—this is priceless.

2. It’s Built for Precision, Which Means Cleaner Linocuts

The tight engineering behind a Vandercook means every pass is smooth and intentional. You see it most in fine-line work. That tiny swirl you carved with a V-gouge? It prints perfectly. The heavy outlines that give linocut printing its bold personality? Rock solid every time.

3. It Handles Large Formats With Ease

If you’re printing concert posters, this alone might sell you. Many Vandercook models comfortably handle 12x18, 13x20, and even larger paper sizes. That means artists aren’t fighting their tools—they’re dancing with them.

4. A Vandercook Is Practically Indestructible

These presses are approaching antique age, yet most of them work better today than newer machines. Why?

Because they were built for industrial use, and printmakers tend to maintain their tools with almost religious respect.

I’ve seen presses from the 1940s still printing beautifully, with nothing more than regular oiling and the occasional replacement part.

How a Vandercook Actually Works (In Plain Language)

When people see one of these presses in person for the first time, the reaction is usually:

“Whoa. That’s… a big machine.”

But the mechanics are surprisingly simple—old-school brilliance.

The Cylinder

This is the heart of the machine. Think of it like a rolling pin engineered by NASA. It glides perfectly over the bed, creating controlled, even pressure.

The Bed

This is where your linocut block sits. For blockprinting, artists often use a type-high bed or raise their block with a base. The goal is to get the right height so ink transfers perfectly.

The Inking System

Many Vandercooks come with automatic inking rollers. Some artists (like us) prefer hand-inking for full control, especially for bold linocut designs, gradient rolls, or multi-color work.

The Impression Mechanism

This is the magic moment. As the cylinder rolls over your inked block and paper, the press applies even pressure across the entire surface. No rocking, no hand burnishing, no guesswork.

Return Trip

One of the joys of a Vandercook is that it’s as satisfying going backwards as forwards. It’s a whole rhythm: ink, roll, pull, return, repeat. It becomes a ritual—almost meditative.

Why Vandercooks Are Perfect for Modern Handmade Art

It’s funny to think that a machine invented for proofreading would become the backbone of modern handmade art. But here’s why the match works so well:

Linocut Printing Loves Uniform Pressure

A linoleum block needs pressure that is even, predictable, and strong—but not too strong. Vandercooks nail that sweet spot.

Blockprinting Thrives on Repetition

If you’re doing a reduction print, a multi-layer design, or a limited-edition poster, the Vandercook gives you the consistency you need to keep your registration tight.

Handmade Concert Posters Need Clean, Bold Lines

Vandercooks excel with crisp blacks, solid fields, and the textured charm that makes linocut art so loved in the concert poster world.

They Let Artists Focus on Craft, Not Muscle

Anyone who’s ever hand-burnished a 12x18 print knows the shoulder pain that follows. Vandercooks remove the guesswork and allow artists to push their creativity further.

A Personal Note: My Life With Buddy

Our own Vandercook Universal 1—Buddy—has become a character in our studio. He’s the quiet third partner in Gilfalo Art Design. Every linocut print, every blockprinting experiment, every handmade concert poster that rolls out of our shop carries a little bit of Buddy’s spirit.

There’s something grounding about working with a machine older than you. A machine that has seen decades of hands pulling prints, decades of ink mixing, decades of creative energy passing through it. The reliability of a Vandercook connects you to that lineage. You’re not just making prints—you’re participating in a century-long craft tradition.

When the cylinder rolls, there’s this split second where you feel completely present. No screens, no algorithms, no rush. Just ink, paper, pressure, and intention. That’s the beauty of handmade art. It’s real. It’s tangible. And machines like the Vandercook give it life.

Final Thoughts: A Machine Built for the Future by Accident

Vandercook presses weren’t built for the digital age. They weren’t built for Instagram, or TikTok, or limited-edition linocut concert posters that collectors snatch up in seconds. They weren’t built for handmade art markets or Substack stories or Milwaukee studio tours.

But somehow… they fit perfectly.

Maybe that’s the best part of printmaking—the way old and new mingle, the way handmade processes keep us grounded in a world obsessed with speed.

A Vandercook press reminds us that slowness can be a virtue, craftsmanship matters, and the best tools are often the ones built long before we were born.

And for blockprinting artists like us, these presses are more than machines.

They’re collaborators.

They’re teachers.

They’re steady, loyal workhorses that help us turn carved linoleum blocks into art that feels alive.

Chris Gill

Gilfalo Art Design